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CC BY 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2024; 45(04): 293-300
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1769589
Original Article

Determination of the Quality of Life of Parents with Children Treated in the Pediatric Oncology Clinic during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Affecting Factors

Aysel Topan
1   Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nursing Department, Pediatric Nursing Department, Zonguldak, Türkiye
,
Özlem Öztürk Şahin
2   Karabük University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nursing Department, Pediatric Nursing Department, Karabük, Türkiye
,
Zeynep Aközlü 
3   Maltepe University, School of Nursing, Istanbul, Türkiye
,
Dilek Bayram
4   Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Health Application and Research Center, Zonguldak, Türkiye
,
Tülay Kuzlu Ayyıldız
1   Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nursing Department, Pediatric Nursing Department, Zonguldak, Türkiye
› Author Affiliations Funding The authors declare that this study has received no financial support.
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Abstract

Introduction Even in the absence of a pandemic, pediatric oncology patients have decreased immunological levels. This condition requires families to monitor their children's risk of infection on a frequent basis. The possibility of being exposed to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a hospital or community environment has created significant concern among cancer families.

Objectives This study sought to ascertain the quality of life of parents who sought treatment for their children at a pediatric oncology clinic during the COVID-19 epidemic, as well as the factors that influenced it.

Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study included 62 parents with children ages 0 to 19 who receive treatment for their children at the pediatric oncology clinic of an application and research center in Turkey's Western Black Sea area. “The Participant Information Form” and “The Scale of Quality of Life-Family Version (QOL-FV)” were used to collect data. The researchers used the face-to-face interview approach to obtain data. To investigate the differences in scale levels based on the descriptive characteristics of the parents, one-way analysis of variance, t-test, and post hoc (Tukey, least significant difference) analyses were used.

Results The total mean score of the parents' QOL-FV was found to be 148.097 ± 25.843 (87–258). In the study, it was determined that financial difficulties, difficulties in accessing the hospital during the treatment process, and changes in daily activity/behavior had negative effects on parents' quality of life.

Conclusion Most of the parents who participated in our study stated that their quality of life got worse with the pandemic. It was determined that the COVID-19 pandemic had effects on the quality of life of parents of pediatric oncology patients in various ways.

Keywords

COVID-19 - quality of life - child - cancer

Ethical Considerations

The Human Research Ethics Committee of Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University granted permission to perform the research (Decision No: 30.04.2021/43431, Protocol no: 191). The institution where the researchwas conducted provided the necessary institutional permission. Prior to the study, participants were asked to sign informed consent forms. All methods in studies involvinghuman subjectswere carried out in line with the institutional and/or national research committee's ethical standards, as well as the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its subsequent revisions or similar ethical standards.


Authors' Contributions

Concept: A.T., Z.A., Ö.Ö.Ş.; Design: A.T., Ö.Ö.Ş.; Literature search: A.T., Z.A.; Data acquisition: D.B., T.K.A.; Statistical analysis: A.T., Z.A., T.K.A.; Manuscript preparation: A.T., Z.A.; Manuscript editing: A.T., Z.A., Ö.Ö.Ş.; Manuscript review: Ö.Ö.Ş., T.K.A.


Data Availability Statement

Data available on request from the authors.




Publication History

Article published online:
25 October 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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